Prime Minister's Office
English rendering of PM’s address at Indian Community event in Rawanda
Namaste, How are you?
Our High Commissioner said just a while ago that the Prime Minister took out the time for you people. The truth is that you people have taken out time for me because this is no time to be awake. By this time, you people already prepare for going to bed after having your dinner. However, you people are awake for me and you have turned up here so late in the night and it’s not just that, you people have also turned up from neighboring countries. Therefore, I am extremely grateful to you people for your love and blessings.
When we watch a cricket match in a stadium then we don’t know much about the position of the ball. However, when we watch the match in television in our homes at remote places then we do know everything that what is the position of the ball, what is the position of the bowler, where is the batman standing andthe position of his feet, everything is known.
That is why the people living outside India know much more than the people living in India know about whatever work is being done by us in India. They have knowledge of every fine detail. And it is natural that wherever Indians may be living in the world, every good news coming from India gives them a new happiness and a new enthusiasm.
What is your sense about the last four years? Whether it has improved or it is just like that as was the case earlier? Do you feel that India’s passport commands more respect? Now you would feel that whenever you land on any airport in the world, whenever you visit an immigration counter and when you say that ‘I am an Indian’ then whether the person immediately looks into your eyes and shows his appreciation or not? Earlier when you people used to shake hands then it was like ‘okay’ for them, now when you shake hands then people don’t let it go. Whether there is a change or not? This change is there because the country has changed and the country is making progress at a rapid speed.
It is not because of Modi. It is because of 1.25 billion Indians. If a player wins gold medal anywhere in the world then Modi has not shed his sweat for that. But it has become possible because after forming the government, Modi has made the selection process so transparent so the right person gets the right opportunity and that is why he is able to win the gold medal.
People do wonders if they get what is due to them in a transparent manner. And this is the only job of the government. And our formula is ‘Sabka Satha – Sabka Vikas ’. And this mantra of Sabka Satha Sabka Vikas is very powerful. And as per this mantra, every citizen of the country feels that now the time has come to work for the progress of the country and it is our responsibility to take the country forward.
Whether earlier people did not know that toilets were needed? Whether this thing required the Modi to come to power? Whether people wait for a particular individual to become Prime Minister to have a toilet in their homes? However, it was like that: it’s like this only; these things happen; and no one used to care. Eight crore toilets have been constructed in such a short span of time and lakhs of villages have become open defecation free.
Once we decide on doing something then our style of working is like this only, otherwise there is no dearth of problems in India. Problems are there and they are there for a very long period of time. But, whether we will just count the problems or we will set the country free of all those problems that we can in the time available to us. Look, 18,000 villages of the country had been living in the 18th century even 70 years after the independence. There was no electricity in those villages. We decided that we will provide electricity in one thousand days and we did that. Even now there are 4 crore households in the country that still don’t have electricity connection. We have decided this thing, a time frame is being fixed,and we will provide electricity to them in a year. So we will have to do that and we will not rest until we do that.
Confidence is generated due to solving of problems. Everyone feels that it can be done, feels that we can do it. When an Indian citizen listens this thing anywhere in the world that India has launched 100 satellites in one go then how much pride he feels. Look brother, 100 satellites are launched in one go. Today, India has been doing this kind of things.
India has demonstrated its strength. Today, India is making this kind of progress that it has more mobile phones than the number of its citizens. India is moving towards modernisation. When we had formed the government then we were at the 9th or 10th position in the world in terms of the size of economy. And now we have reached to the 6th position. And for the first time we have moved ahead by leaving behind France. And very soon we will be at the fifth, fourth and the third spot.
Today, if there is any fast growing economy among the major economies of the world then the name of that country is India. So the country has been making progress at a rapid pace, it has been scaling new heights of development.
Whether you people feel like to visit India or not? In every two months! Great! See there are plenty of occasions in 2019. I got it, what you people were thinking when I talked about the opportunity in 2019. However, I wanted to say something else.
Our International Pravasi Bhartiya Divas Karyakram  is being organised on 22-23 January, 2019 in Kashi. Overseas Indians anywhere in the world, they gather in India every second year. This time it is in Kashi. And you people do know that I represent Kashi so if I invite you people then it becomes a special invitation.
So, the first thing is that its advantage should be taken of. You people should attend Pravasi Bhartiya Divas in large numbers. Second: Kumbh fair is beginning in Prayagran from 14th January 2019, on the day of Makar Sankranti. People from all over the world visit Kumbh fair. So please attend Pravasi Bhartiya Divas in Kashi and then visit Prayag in Prayagraj and then Delhi on 26th of January. And before that there is one more programme - Vibrant Gujarat Global Investor Summit - in Ahmedabad, Gujarat on 20-21 January. It means you can visit by preparing a complete package. First Vibrant Summit in Gujarat then from there go to Banaras then from Banaras to Prayag Raj and from Prayag Raj to Delhi. And if you want to stay beyond that then please stay up to May and we will find some things to engageyou.
You people have turned up in such a large numbers, you blessed me, you conveyed your best wishes. I am extremely grateful to you people.
I would like to tell the Indian community spread all over the world that India is proud of you. Wherever Indians went into the world they have earned good name, they have made us proud. And today I was sitting with the President just a while ago. I have directly gone to that programme from the airport itself. So the President praised you people a lot, it means he takes a lot of pride in Indian community here and when I was hearing this thing then I was feeling so happy that all my fatigue of the journey for coming here from India was gone.
And he told an important thing. He said those Indians who live here they have been making a lot of contribution in the progress of their country; they earn their livelihood but they are not mischief makers. There is no problem whatsoever from the side of Indians.
And the second thing that he said that the Indian community that lives here has a special feature that they keep helping in the social work here. They keep doing some or some other thing for the welfare of local people. Look, you have won the hearts of these people due to these traits only. This thing in itself is very important that the country where we have come, the people of that country are impressed by our sense of service, they are impressed by our inclination towards service.
And these reports come from all over the world that it is a society that leads the lives of law abiding citizens, a society that does not create any kind of mischief. And this kind of behavior by Indians is not despised in any country of the world. Indians are being liked. Indians are being liked by the other people. In several ways, any Indian wherever he may be in the world, he is much more than the official ambassador, he is the ambassador of the country.
Today, my entire tiredness was completely gone the moment I heard good things about you immediately after reaching here. I was happy. And now I am feeling good as I got the opportunity to see all of you. You people came here, I thank all of you very much.
My best wishes.